Somehow this makes me feel right with the universe

Well, we're finishing up the second week of cloth diapering full time. For the most part it's really been an easy(ish) transition. There's a slight learning curve. I have to actually think about (and change) pee diapers, even if they haven't pooped. Don't let people tell you it's as easy as disposables, because it definitely not. But it's not so difficult or gross as one might think with modern diapers and technology.

In my mind there are a couple of "optional" accessories that are "necessities" for a person like me who wasn't SOLD on CDing. One is a sprayer. I got the bumgenius sprayer, and while it's kinda cheaply made (looks like metal in the pic. but is really plastic and the hanger thing is so flimsy that Dean broke it the first day), it's a life saver. No dunking or scrubbing. It's a little messy, though. The water sprays out a bit and I have to wipe the toilet and around the base with toilet paper after every time I spray a diaper. Not a big deal though. The other is one or two washable pail liners. I can't imagine not having one. Wait. Let me rephrase that. I can imagine not having one, and I don't like the thought of it. =) I'm also going to get some Charlie's Soap since I never know exactly how much of my regular soap to use (you're supposed to use less than you would with a regular load of clothes). Oh, and I'm finding that cloth wipes would be way, way easier than disposable wipes. Just toss 'em in with the diapers. With disposable wipes I have to find a trash to toss them and there's never a good place handy it seems. So, I'll have to make or get me some of those soon too.

I have 26 diapers (well, 26 snap-in inserts and 26 doublers and 14 covers since you can use the covers for more than one insert) and that's been enough for both boys if I do a load of diapers about every day and a half or so. I generally just dry the diapers, but if it's good weather (like it has been this week), there's no reason not to hang dry them and do a short fluff cycle afterward. Makes them last longer, and uses less energy.

We have had a few blow outs, but no more than with disposables, and maybe even fewer. My boys are just big poopers. What can I say?

I do use disposables at night. I tried the cloth with a doubler once at night and even after changing Walt once in the middle of the night (something I am happy to avoid if possible), he was soaking in the morning. Dean was slightly damp when he woke up, though he often is slightly damp even in disposable for some reason. So, I just decided to avoid the hassle and use a disposable. Honestly, I'm kind of glad they get a little break from the moisture. It works for us.

I'll most likely use disposables when we're traveling just for convenience sake, but I am feeling at peace with cloth for now.

Plus, their little tooshies are just so dang cute in them.

Taking the plunge

And yes, pun intended.

Wish me luck.

I just bought an entire cloth diapering system. I went with Gro Baby Live system. I ordered it through a great online store (DiaperCo) that happens to be located in the next town over from me. The ladies who run it are great. The owner isn't LDS, but her daughter is. They're both really nice. They let me come to their house and look at all the different diapers and answered all my questions.

I thought I received my answer last fall that I wasn't going to do cloth, but it kept bugging me. Every time I read something from the church about being prepared (which is quite frequent these days), it comes to my mind that I need to be prepared on the diapering front as well. Not sure why. Not sure if it's going to be a necessity at some point. I just know it keeps coming back to me. So I am going ahead with it. Who am I to fight a prompting?

I won't, however, need to dunk the diapers since I bought a diaper sprayer.

I'm hoping that I won't have to custom make Walt's pants now. I have a hard enough time finding clothes that fit him with disposables since he's such a little chunk. Now with cloth it will be a little bulkier still...

We'll see how Dean does with the switch. Maybe it will help motivate him to fully potty train. Maybe not. I'm ok with it either way.
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On another purchasing/preparedness note, I decided to go with a Wonder Junior Deluxe hand mill wheat grinder. I was going to do an electric Nutrimill, and I still may later on, but buying both at the same time felt too frivolous. I felt like it was more important to have a decent hand crank in case power is down and we need it. This one can also grind oily things like peanut butter, flax, and herbs etc. Now to go to the cannery and get us some wheat!
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Oh, and did I ever mention I purchased a double jogging stroller after 8 months of searching? I bought a Baby Jogger Double Performance with 20 in. tires. It was about $150 cheaper on Ebay than I've ever seen it, so I went ahead with it. I had gone between the Tike Tech Sport and this one. This has a better frame (with a life time warranty), but I was a little disappointed that the seats didn't recline fully like the Tike Tech. So, I won't be able to take a new infant out like I could in the other. I didn't realize that before I purchased. But I'm still happy. It's a good jogger and it's nice to be running (...jogging...) again.

Cloth in action

Yesterday when I had Walt in cloth, Dean was a bit jealous that he had on an orange diaper. (Orange is his favorite color.) I told Dean I'd let him try it out today. He hated cloth the last time we tried, but he seemed just fine with these. I don' t know if it was the fact that he had to have what Walt had, or if it was more comfortable than the others, or both. I really WOULD save money if I got diapers they could BOTH use!! Definitely makes me consider it more seriously. After seeing how they fit on Dean, I decided Walt could wear them clipped down once. Isn't it amazing how cloth diapering has evolved?